4 – Resident Evil 2 – PS1, 1998
As this came out I was busy being scared by the original. That didn’t stop me seeing the amount of hype it garnered. Resident Evil 2 was highly anticipated, and by all accounts lived up to it. Bigger in every way, it expanded the Raccoon City story with branched storytelling and more playable characters.
It’s tough to put my finger on why Resident Evil 2 didn’t quite grab me in the same way as the other games you’ll see ranked higher. It’s a great game, with a fantastically eerie atmosphere and great music. I do think it’s a bit long, and whilst Claire and Leon have gone on to be some of the most well-known characters in the series, they’ll never be Chris and Jill.
For many people this will be the high point of the original games and possibly even the franchise. I get a lot of stick for calling it ‘the worst of the original trilogy’! It’s a fantastic game, there are just aspects of the others that have stayed with me more.
3 – Resident Evil 7: Biohazard – PS4, 2017
Resident Evil 7 blew apart my expectations, forcing its way into my top three with the scariest experience since I turned off the PS1 in a panic playing the original game. It’s a major return to form and survival horror.
In the shoes of an Average Joe thrust into a horrendous situation, Biohazard steps back from the action and OTT nature of the previous numbered entries. Instead it is gruesome and tense, especially in the first couple of hours. Things do settle down once you find a rhythm and gain more weapons but you always feel up against it.
Once again you’re left with too many enemies and not enough bullets. Taking the best aspects of the original games and doing what Survivor couldn’t, RE7 uses the first person view to crank up the intensity. I wish it tied into the continuity a bit more, but that was in such a mess that maybe it’s for the best!
#2 – Resident Evil 3: Nemesis – PS1, 1999
For a long long time Nemesis was my #1. Streamlined and refined, there was little backtracking and I could spin on the spot! It kept you constantly on edge via one of the best enemies of any game, the Nemesis.
Over two games I’d learnt and trusted the term ‘saved by the door’, as the classic door animation, meant to conceal the next room being loaded from disc, interrupted the jump of a dog or the lunge of a zombie. Sigh of relief breathed, I could continue on or even go back in knowing their position had been reset.
The Nemesis takes that idea, chews it up, and spits it back out. I distinctly remember the first time he followed me into another area. Off I went, almost oblivious to the change in music, until BAM, he grabbed me and promptly smashed a tentacle through my face.
Brad Vickers finally gets what he deserves in a game that used the traditional formula but tweaked it enough to make it feel very different.
#1 – Resident Evil – PS1, 1996
Pretty obvious? You’re right. If it wasn’t going to be 2 or 3 it was more than likely going to be this. 7 makes a pleasing entry high up but ultimately the Spencer Mansion in the Arklay Mountains is where we find the number one entry and my favourite Resident Evil game.
It was a replay of Resident Evil 1 a few years ago that cemented it. I realised that the setting, and the relationship you build with it, is its single biggest strength. I mentioned the lack of back tracking as a plus when discussing Nemesis but here retreading old ground with new knowledge and items is what makes the game what it is. The mansion holds many secrets, pushing you forward despite the surroundings becoming more and more familiar.
Then there’s the opening movie. It’s terribly good as it begins a story of cowards, traitors and heroes before the series became overly complicated.
It’s clunky and it’s cheesy and the voice acting is terrible. But I don’t care. It could be taken as a slight at the rest of the series that they’ve never been able to top it, but it’s also a sign of just how good this game is.
There you go! Do you agree? Am I talking rubbish? Let me know!
Chris Cooper
Originally published June 16, 2018. Updated July 27, 2024.
